Exercising chair



A June' l1, 1957 L. J. BARTLETT 2,795,422

ExERcIsmc CHAIR Filed Sept. 13, 1954 EXERCISING CHAIR Leonard J. Bartlett, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Application September 13, 1954, Serial No. 455,551

1 Claim. (Cl. 272-58) My invention relates to new and useful improvements in play coasters, particularly .play coasters adapted to be used by children suieringfrom such diseases as cerebral palsy and the like, the principal object and essence of my invention -being to provide a play coaster of the character described, the base of which is -relatively close to the -oor and which can readily be manipulated by a crippled `child with the minimum of eort, either in a semi-reclinmg or sitting position.

A further object of my invention, in conjunction vwith the foregoing, is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is adapted to be manoeuvred by the child rotating the two side wheels which, as well as being ground engaging wheels, are positioned to be adjacent the hand of the child.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which includes an adjustable `brake assembly for each wheel so that the resistance of one or both of the wheels can be increased in order to strengthen one or both of the arms 4of the child or, alternatively, to counteract a turning effect which would become apparent if the two arms of the child were different strengths.

A further object of my invention is to provide a de vice of the character herewithin described which includes an adjustable tray adapted to ibe extended forwardly of the base in order to support the legs of the child if desired.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is extremely simple in construction, economical in manufacture and otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is designed.

With the foregoing objects in view, and such other objects and advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the :art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter rnore particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

lFigure 1 is a perspective view of my device.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of my device.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the axle assembly and stub axle per se.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary and partially sectioned rear view showing the details of the rear castor-ing wheel assembly.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side detail of one of the brake assemblies.

Figure 6 is a perspective exploded view of the llock pin assembly per se.

In the drawings like characters `of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

It is well known ythat crippled children, particularly children 4suffering from cerebral palsy can be trained slowly to use their limbs and extremities at least to a partial degree, but -it will be recognized that this training is an extremely slow process and at times is frustrating nited States Patent ice Patented June 11, 1957 2 to the child. It has been found that if the. child can be assisted to manoeuvre around more freely, the childs scope of activities lis increased materially, inasmuch as a great deal lof exercise can be done by the child during regular play. The principal object of this invention, therefore, is to endeavour to make a crippled child more mobile with the minimum of muscular effort and at the .same time provide a device which is safe in operation, inasmuch as the centre of gravity thereof isalmost atfloor level.

`Proceeding now to describe my invention in detail, it will be seen upon reference to the accompanying drawings that I have provided a :substantially rectangular base 1 having curved corners 2 and a resilient bumper 3 surrounding the perimeter of v'the device in order to make the device more safe.

A wheel axle assembly shown in detail in Figure 3, consists of a transverse strap 4 having rearwardly extending braces 5 by which same is adapted to be secured to the underside of the lbase 1 transversely extending across same. A pair of upwardly extending portions 6 are formed on the lends of the .straps 4 and are adapted to extend through wheel slots 5 formed within the base adjacent each side edge 6 thereof. Adjacent the upper ends of these portions 6 I 'have provided stub axles 7 extending outwardly therefrom, which, in this embodiment, consist of bolts 8 screw threadably engageable within nuts 9 welded to the inside of the portions 6. The effective length -of the bolts 8 is controlled by the provision offurther nuts 10 screwed onto the bolts before insertion within the nuts 9, these nuts 10 acting as lock nuts against the portions 6. The Shanks of the bolts act as stub axles lfor rubber tired wheels 11, which are freely rotatable thereon and which are of a size sufficient so that the lower portion 12 of the p'erimeters of these wheels extends through the slots 5 and just below the underside of the base 1, :as clearly shown in the accompanying drawings. This ensures that the centre of gravity of the device is as close as possible to the ground, furthermore, permits the occupant readily to reach toys and the like, which may -be on the floor without leaning out of the device to any great extent.

lustl inboard of the wheels 11 I have provided a pair of` sides 13 secured to the base and extending upwardly therefrom and adjacent the rear end 14 lof these sides I have provided `a back 15 which is hinged to the base by hinges 16 and is inclineably adjustable rearwardly by means of said hinges and conventional arcuate brackets and thumb screws 17 reacting between the sides and said back. It is to be appreciated that the base, sides and back may be padded with suitable material (not illustrated) in lorder to make the device comfortable for the child.

A substantially rectangular tray 18 is situated between the sides 13 and adapted to slide outwardly in advance of the front edge 19 of the base, this tray being covered by a cover panel 20, which in turn becomes part of the base between the sides 13. Means are provided to adjust the extension of the tray 18 so that it can be fixed either fully retracted or in `a plurality of extended positions, this means taking the form of a lock plate 20 secured on the outer face of each side adjacent the forward end thereof. This plate 20 is provided with an angulated slot 21 which finds a corresponding angulated slot (not illustrated) within the side immediately behind the plate 20. On the inner surface of the sides 13 there is an inner plate 22 provided with a semi-circular recess 23 extending from top to bottom thereof and a relatively short guide tube 24 secured adjacent the base of this recess, as clearly shown in Figure 6. An angulated lock pin 25 is adapted to slide within the recess 23 guided by the sleeve or tube 24, the upper angulated end 26 passing through the sides and through the angulated slot 3 21 in the flock plate 20. An aperture is (not illustrated) formed immediately below these assemblies on the cover panel Z' so that the lower end of the lock pin 25 can pass freely therethrough. A plurality of apertures 27 is provided along each longitudinal side of the tray so positioned that they can be registered underneath the apertures within the cover panel. 1n operation, the lock pin is raised and turned so that the angnlated portion 26 registers within the portion 2S of the slot 21, whereupon the tray can be extended as desired. The lock pin is then disengaged from the portion 28 and swung over so that it can move downwardly through the apertures within the cover panel to engage within adjacent apertures 27 in the tray 18, thus locking same rmly in position.

In order to provide balance to the coaster, I have provided a rear castoring wheel assembly collectively designated 29 and shown in detail in Figure 4. This consists of a bracket 30 angulated as 'illustrated and secured by lugs 31 to the underside of the base adjacent the rear edge thereof and centrally between the side edges thereof. The bracket extends through apertures within the base and a conventional castoring assembly passes through au aperture in the base and is secured by bolts 32 to the cross-member 33 of the bracket, with the castoring fork 34 below the base and carrying the conventional castoring wheel 35, which is journalled for rotation upon pin 36.

It will be appreciated that in such a disease as cerebral palsy, one arm of the child is often stronger than the other, which would result in the coaster constantly turning. Alternatively, it may be desired to strengthen one arm and, under these circumstances, the resistance to turning of one wheel or the other, or both, can be controlled by means of brake assemblies collectively designated 37 situated adjacent each wheel. These brake assemblies consist of lugs 38 secured to the base panel to the rear of the wheels, said lugs acting as a support bearing for `a brake shoe 39, which is pivoted intermediate the end upon said ilug by means of pin 40. This brake shoe is curved as illustrated, so that one end 41 is adapted to engage the perimeter 42 of the wheel 11. The other end extends rearwardly and is apertured to engage over a fixed stud 43 having a wing nut 44 screw threadably engageable thereon. A spring 45 reacts between the base 1 and the underside of the other end of the brake shoe, thus maintaining this end against the wing nut. By adjusting the wing nut,` the opposite end of the brake shoe can be made to engage the perimeter of the wheel, thus -increasing the resistance thereof depending upon the pressure applied by the thumb screw 44.

Since various modiications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claim without departing from such spirit and scope, (it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying speciiication shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in ya limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

A coaster for crippled children comprising in combination a substantially rectangular base, a pair of wheels independently journalled for rotation to each side of said base, a wheel axle assembly attached to said base and upon which said wheels are mounted, a pair of side members upst-anding from adjacent the sides of said base and secured thereto, a back also upstanding from said base adjacent the rear edge thereof and secured thereto, an independent adjustable, brake assembly secured to said base adjacent each of said wheels and adapted to control the resistance -to turn of said wheels, and a castor wheel assembly secured to and depending from adjacent the centre of the rear edge of said base, said back being hingedly secured to said base and includes means whereby salid back may be selectively inclinable rearwardly, said brake assemblies consisting of a curved brake shoe pivoted intermediate lthe ends thereof to a bracket secured to said base, one end of said shoe adapted to bear against the perimeter of said wheel, the other end of said brake shoe being provided with means to adjust the position of said shoe relative to said wheel, said means taking the form of a bolt extending upwardly from said base and passing through the other end of said brake shoe, a Wing nut engageable with said bolt and adapted to bear upon said shoe, and a spring reacting between said base and said other end of said shoe normally to hold said other end in contact with said wing nut.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,376,347 McComb Apr. 26, 1921 1,824,920 Novak Sept. 29, 1931 2,437,778 Ames Mar. 16, 1948 2,616,725 East Nov. 4, 1952 2,633,370 Johnston et al Mar. 31, 1953 

